Towards a Common Understanding of Sustainable Food …...5 Towards a Common Understanding of Sustainable Food Systems Contents 1. Introduction: Rationale and Background 6 1.1Rationale

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Towards a Common Understanding of Sustainable Food Systems

Towards a Common Understanding of Sustainable Food SystemsKey approaches, concepts, and terms

Copyright One Planet network Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme, 2020

This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The SFS Programme would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the SFS Programme.

Disclaimer

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the SFS Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of the SFS Programme and its members, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement.

Cover photo: icon0.com / Pexels

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Technical support and drafting

Particular thanks go to the task team that has supported the development of this publication since its conception phase, by providing feedback and input on its outline and earlier drafts, including co-authorship:

Marina Bortoletti, United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)Christine Campeau, United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN)Sandro Dernini, Centre international de hautes études agronomiques méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)Elise Golan, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)David Gould, IFOAM – Organics InternationalChavanne Hanson, NestléNicola Jenkin, Pinpoint SustainabilityAllison Loconto, Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (INRAE)James Lomax, UN EnvironmentDivine Njie, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)Charlotte Pavageau, Biovision Foundation

Contributions

In addition, we would like to thank all members of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee, as well as the co-leadership and further partners of the One Planet network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme, for their valuable inputs, in particular: Daniel Bachmann (Global Nature Fund), Natalia Basso (Secretaría de Gobierno de Agroindustria, Argentina), Jean-Marc Faurès (FAO), Marion Hammerl (Global Nature Fund), Natascha Kooiman (Smaackmakers), Pradeep Mohapatra (Udyama), Jamie Morrison (FAO), Michael Mulet Solon (WWF), Michaël Sapin (FOAG), Urs Schenker (Nestlé), and Carola Strassner (Muenster University of Applied Sciences).

Finally, our thanks go to all respondents to the open online consultation, who provided valuable feedback on the zero draft of this publication, including: Judith Benedics (Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, Austria), Debarati Chakraborty (University of Kalyani), Ana Deaconu (University of Montreal), Maurizio Dioli, Florence Egal, Anthony Fardet (INRAE), Gerhard Flachowsky (Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Germany), Vivien Franck (SHARECITY), Rose Hogan (Trocaire), Ronald Jones, George Kent (University of Hawai‘i), Guljahan Kurbanova (FAO), Ariel Larson (IPM Institute of North America, Inc.), Roger Leakey (International Tree Foundation), Michelle Miller (UW-CIAS), Manuel Moya (University Miguel Hernández), Adrian Müller (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL), David Neven (FAO), Bernardete Neves (FAO), Thomas Oelholm (Norwegian Refugee Council), Walter Pengue (Universidad de Buenos Aires), Anita Pinheiro, Dhananjaya Poudyal (Civil Society Alliance for Nutrition), Kelly Siobhan (FAO), Dosse Sossouga (Amis des Etrangers au Togo), Stephen Thornhill (University College Cork), Anita Utheim Iversen (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Norway), and Gisèle Yasmeen (University of British Columbia and Royal Roads University).

Overall coordination, drafting, and editing: Patrick Mink, Federal Office for Agriculture, Switzerland (FOAG)

Proofreading and text editing: Amy Sweeting

Design and layout: Matthias Waldt, allcodesarebeautiful

Acknowledgements

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CFS Committee on World Food Security

Collaborative FS Framework Collaborative Framework for Food Systems Transformation

ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

FBDGs Food Based Dietary Guidelines

FLW Food losses and waste

FSN Food security and nutrition

GHG Greenhouse gas

GIs Geographical indications

IARC International Agency for Research on Cancer

IES Incentives for ecosystem services

IPM Integrated pest management

HLPE High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition

HLPF High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

HortIMPACT Kenya Market-led Horticulture Project

MAC Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee

NCDs Non-communicable diseases

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

PES Payments for ecosystem services

RAI Principles Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems

RAS Rural advisory services

Rio+20 Conference UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro

SCP Sustainable consumption and production

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

SFS Sustainable food systems

SFS Programme Sustainable Food Systems Programme of the One Planet network

SFVC Sustainable food value chain

UN Environment United Nations Environment Programme

VBFCs Values-based food chains

WHO World Health Organization

10YFP 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production

List of Abbreviations

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Contents

1. Introduction: Rationale and Background 6

1.1 Rationale 61.2 Background on the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme 91.3 Intended Use, Structure, and Scope of this Publication 10

2. Sustainable Food Systems: Concept, Systems Approach, and Strategies 11

2.1 The Concept of Sustainable Food Systems 112.2 The Sustainable Food Systems Approach 162.3 Main Strategies to Promote Sustainable Food Systems 21

3. Terms of Relevance to Sustainable Food Systems: Definitions and Discussion 26

Annex 1: The SDG “Wedding Cake” 67Annex 2: An Illustration of Food Systems Interactions and Feedback Loops 68Annex 3: A Conceptual Framework of Food Systems for Diets and Nutrition 69Annex 4: The Food System Wheel 70Annex 5: A Comprehensive Illustration of the Global Food System 71Annex 6: Placing Different Approaches on the Food Systems Spectrum 72

4. Annexes 67

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1.1 Rationale Current food systems around the world are straining under the weight of multiple challenges, while at the same time contributing significantly toward several of those challenges. Hunger and malnutrition are again on the rise, up from about 620 million undernourished people in 2014 to almost 690 million in 2019,1 and from 563 million obese adults in 2012 to 672 million in 2016.2 At the same time, land and soils, as well as biodiversity and ecosystems,

1 FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO. 2020. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020. Transforming Food Systems for Affordable Healthy Diets. Rome, FAO.

According to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, much of the recent increase in food insecurity can be attributed to the greater number of conflicts, often exacerbated by climate-related shocks. Even in some peaceful settings, food security has deteriorated as a result of economic slowdowns threatening access to food for the poor. Furthermore, while the number of stunted children has declined over the past years, this rate of reduction is too slow to achieve the 2030 target of a 50-percent reduction in the number of stunted children. Only 44 percent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, which is far from the 2030 target of 70 percent. In 2019, 6.9 percent of children were wasted, and this must be reduced by more than half to reach the target of less than 3 percent by 2030. In 2018, anemia affected 33 percent of women of reproductive age – more than double the 2030 target of 15 percent.

2 FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO. 2019. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019. Safeguarding against economic slowdowns and downturns. Rome, FAO.

3 WEF. 2018. 90% of fish stocks are used up – fisheries subsidies must stop emptying the ocean. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/ 2018/07/fish-stocks-are-used-up-fisheries-subsidies-must-stop/ (accessed 25 June 2020).

are increasingly being degraded.

Local and native crops, many of which are climate resilient and adapted to the local conditions and cultural context, are rapidly disappearing. Nearly 90 percent of the world‘s marine fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted.3 Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the food value chain, including agriculture-related deforestation, farming, processing, packaging, transportation, and waste, account for about

1. Introduction: Rationale and Background

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Today’s challenges are

complex and therefore require

the adoption of a system-

based approach. In addition,

they call for innovative

partnerships and multi-

stakeholder collaboration.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/fish-stocks-are-used-up-fisheries-subsidies-must-stop/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/fish-stocks-are-used-up-fisheries-subsidies-must-stop/

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half of all human GHG emissions.4 Approximately one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted rather than consumed, with a significant environmental footprint in terms of the water and land used. In turn, climate change is increasing the risk of weather-related natural disasters jeopardizing livelihoods, food security, clean water, and sanitary conditions, which are essential for good nutrition. Meanwhile, the global population is projected to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, adding another 2 billion people to be fed while increasing pressures on natural resources – hence the need for the adoption of more sustainable consumption and production patterns.5 Urbanization is a key structuring feature of current societies and raises new challenges. People in many parts of the world are shifting toward diets that are based on ultra-processed

4 TEEB. 2018. TEEB for Agriculture & Food: Scientific and Economic Foundations. UN Environment, Geneva.

5 FAO. 2017a. The future of food and agriculture – Trends and challenges. FAO, Rome.

6 Obesity has become a global pandemic, with rates at least doubling in more than 70 countries since 1980. Many countries now face a “double bur-den,” where undernutrition coexists with overnutrition, because our food systems and lifestyles are enabling these trends (SOFI 2018). The annual cost of unhealthy diets has been estimated to range from €3 to €148 per capita (Joy Candari et al. 2017), with a recent study finding that unhealthy diets cost the United States USD 50 billion per year (Veiga Jardim et al. 2019).

7 WHO. 2018. Noncommunicable diseases. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/ (accessed 25 June 2020).

8 A more detailed discussion of the links between food systems and COVID-19 is contained in: United Nations. 2020. Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition.

9 Adapted from: FAO. 2018a. Sustainable food systems - Concept and framework. FAO, Rome.

10 This is in some ways similar to the nexus approach, which focuses its analysis mainly on the interlinkages between energy, water, and food; however it goes beyond that, taking into account a broader range of policy areas. For more information on the nexus approach, see, for example: FAO. 2014a. The Water-Energy-Food-Nexus. Rome, FAO.

foods and that rely primarily on animal proteins. These developments raise questions linked to unbalanced diets with low nutritional value and high levels of salt, sugars, saturated fat, and trans fats. Unhealthy diets have become a main risk for human health, leading to a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and obesity, and translating into increasing public health costs.6 NCDs are now the main cause of mortality worldwide and are responsible for 70 percent of global deaths, equivalent to 40 million people.7

The COVID-19 crisis has added to these challenges and laid bare some of the structural deficiencies at their core, thereby calling further attention to the urgent need for transformation toward food systems that are sustainable and resilient.8

While fighting global poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition are moral imperatives, promoting sustainability is a sine qua non for food security and nutrition. If our natural resources are depleted and our ecosystems collapse, it will no longer be possible to produce and consume food. To avoid such a situation, we need to transform our food systems and pursue the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for major transformations in order to end hunger, achieve food security, and improve nutrition in a sustainable way by 2030.9

The challenges described above are multidimensional and interrelated, and therefore require the adoption of a system-based approach that takes into account the interrelations between the different elements across the food system, rather than focusing only on one or a limited subset of food system components in isolation.10 In addition, they call for multi-stakeholder collaboration, including public-private and other forms of innovative partnerships. This conclusion is echoed by the Ministerial Declaration of the 2018 High-level Political Forum on

Photo: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano

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Sustainable Development (HLPF), which calls “upon all stakeholders to adopt a sustainable food systems approach […]”, as well as a series of further recent decisions from different UN bodies in the environment, agriculture, and health policy areas.11

The Sustainable Food Systems Approach described in this publication looks at food systems through a truly holistic lens. It is a tool that can support governments and other food systems actors in creating policy environments that are conducive to more sustainable food systems. Thereby, the Sustainable Food Systems Approach substantiates the potential for food systems transformation of the nature and scale needed to meet global challenges and achieve the SDGs. The coherent implementation of globally agreed frameworks and commitments, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Second International Conference on Nutrition, can be a useful step in this direction.

Over the past years, there has been increased attention

11 ECOSOC. 2018. Ministerial declaration of the 2018 high-level political forum on sustainable development, convened under the auspices of the Eco-nomic and Social Council, on the theme “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.”

UN Environment. 2019a. Ministerial declaration of the United Nations Environment Assembly at its fourth session. Innovative solutions for environ-mental challenges and sustainable consumption and production.

FAO. 2019a. Report of the Conference of FAO. United Nations. 2019. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2019. Agriculture development, food security and nutrition.

to the issue of sustainable food systems, in recognition of their centrality to many objectives. Diverse actors from around the world, including from different government agencies, the business and scientific communities, and international and civil society organizations, with different backgrounds and mission areas, are part of the ever-expanding conversation.

While this increased attention is a welcome indication of the growing global awareness for the need to transition toward more sustainable food systems, there is a potentially confusing and counterproductive diversity of views and language being used among countries and other stakeholders about what sustainable food systems are and how they can be achieved.

This publication puts into context related concepts and approaches that can be used to address the multiple challenges described above, with the aim to facilitate a common understanding. This common understanding is expected to support a more rapid and robust transition to more sustainable food systems at local, national, regional, and global levels.

Photo: ©FAO/Riccardo De Luca

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1.2 Background on the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme

This publication is a product of the One Planet network’s Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme – a global multi-stakeholder partnership with a network of currently more than 180 food system actors worldwide.12 The SFS Programme’s goal is to accelerate the shift toward sustainable food systems, through advocacy and conceptual as well as action-oriented work implemented by collaborative initiatives at global, regional,13 and national/local levels. To achieve its goal, the SFS promotes a holistic, system-based approach to more integrated and inclusive policy making, in support of the transition to sustainable food systems. The initiatives of the SFS Programme promote awareness-raising activities, strengthen capacities and enabling environments, and

12 Status: 31 March 2020

13 For the purposes of this publication, the word “regional” refers to the supra-national level.

14 Adapted from: Mulet Solon et al. 2018. The One Planet Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme as a Multi-stakeholder Platform for a Systemic Approach. In: Sustainable Diets: Linking Nutrition and Food Systems. Burlingame and Dernini (Eds.). CABI Publishers, Oxfordshire, UK.

15 Status: 31 March 2020. From 2015 to 2019, the co-leadership was composed of South Africa, Switzerland, Hivos, and WWF.

16 SFS Programme. 2017a. Sustainable Food Systems Programme (SFS Programme) of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Con-sumption and Production (10YFP). Terms of Reference (ToR). Available at: http://www.scpclearinghouse.org/sites/default/files/10yfp_sfsp_terms_of_reference_tor_-_editable_v31oct2017.docx (accessed 25 June 2020).

17 United Nations. 2012. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012. The future we want.

increase access to information, knowledge, and tools.14

The SFS Programme was launched in 2015, and is currently being co-led by Costa Rica, Switzerland, and WWF.15 The co-leads jointly steer and coordinate the implementation of the SFS Programme, with strategic discussions and decisions by a Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC).16

The SFS Programme is part of the broader One Planet network, which formed to implement the United Nations 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP). The 10YFP was adopted at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20 Conference) in 2012.17

The implementation of the 10YFP is enshrined in Target 12.1 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Operationally, the SFS Programme reports through the

Photo: ©Pep Bonet/NOOR for FAO

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10YFP Secretariat to the UN Economic and Social Council and HLPF.18 As noted in the 2018 HLPF Ministerial Declaration, the One Planet network serves as “an important implementation mechanism for Sustainable Development Goal 12.”19

In its early inception phase, the SFS Programme solicited expert input through an online open public consultation about key actions and topics related to building sustainable food systems. It also carried out a comprehensive mapping exercise of ongoing projects of key players in relation to sustainable food systems. Based on this analysis, the SFS Programme identified the following focus themes:20

• Sustainable diets;

• Sustainability along all food value chains;

• Reduction of food losses and waste; and

• Resilient, inclusive, and diverse food production systems.

The SFS Programme views these as key leverage points to promote the transformation toward more sustainable food systems. While their respective importance can vary depending on the socio-economic context of any given country, they are a part of any food system, and together they address all food system activities and outcomes.21

1.3 Intended Use, Structure, and Scope of this PublicationThe objective of this publication is to facilitate knowledge and promote a common understanding of key approaches, concepts, and terms related to sustainable food systems among a broad range of relevant stakeholders, globally. The ambition is for the publication to become a reference document for anyone working toward more sustainable consumption and production patterns in the area of food and agriculture. It is part of the “SFS Toolbox,” which also includes a Collaborative Framework for Food Systems

18 For more information on the governance structure of the 10YFP, see: UN Environment. 2014. Guidance document on programme development and implementation for the Ten Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP). Available at: https://www.one-planetnetwork.org/sites/default/files/10yfp-guidance-programmedev.pdf (accessed 25 June 2020).

19 ECOSOC. 2018. Op. cit., para. 26. However, the development of sustainable food systems is not only central to achieving SDG12 on responsible production and consumption, it also

contributes significantly to poverty reduction (SDG1), ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition (SDG2), improving health and well-being (SDG3), and promoting decent work and employment (SDG8), among others.

20 These four themes are in addition to “Local, national, and regional multi-stakeholder platforms,” which is the fifth “focus theme” of the SFS Pro-gramme, and discussed in Box 3.

21 For more information on the SFS Programme’s focus themes, please refer to $ Box 2 / page 17.

Transformation, a set of case studies, and an online learning course. While this publication provides the nomenclature and theoretical background in relation to sustainable food systems, the other components focus on practical ways to improve food systems.

The publication is intended as a living document that will be reviewed as the science and knowledge around food systems evolve. The inclusion of any specific term does not imply endorsement by the individual members of the SFS Programme, nor should there be any implication that a sustainable food system must include all the concepts described here.

The publication is structured in two main parts: the first ($ Chapter 2 / page 11) focuses on the sustainable food systems concept, approach, and main strategies for transformation to more sustainable food systems. The second part ($ Chapter 3 / page 26) contains a glossary with definitions of terms that are of relevance to sustainable food systems, along with a discussion of some of the terms that are either central to the SFS Programme or closely related to the Sustainable Food Systems Approach.

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This chapter focuses on examining the complexity and scope of the concept of sustainable food systems and introduces the notion of a Sustainable Food Systems Approach. It concludes with an overview of some of the main strategies for achieving the transformation to more sustainable food systems.

2.1 The Concept of Sustainable Food SystemsThe One Planet network’s (10YFP) SFS Programme was developed based on the definitions of food system and sustainable food system that were proposed by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in 2014.22 According to these definitions, a “food

22 FAO-UN Environment. 2014. Agri-Food Task Force on Sustainable Consumption and Production. Fifth meeting. Summary report, p. 5. Available at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/ags/docs/SFCP/Activities/Report_of_the_5th_Meeting_of_the_Agri-food_Task_Force_on_SCP.pdf (ac-cessed 25 June 2020).

23 HLPE. 2014a. Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome.

system gathers all the elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food, and the outputs of these activities, including socio-economic and environmental outcomes.” A sustainable food system (SFS) is a “food system that ensures food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition of future generations are not compromised.”23

It is important to note that the food system elements mentioned in this definition are not exhaustive, and that many others (e.g., finance, technology, or regulations) could be included.

Similarly, additional activities could be added. Many

2. Sustainable Food Systems: Concept, Systems Approach, and Strategies

Photo: ©FAO/Olivier Thuillier

This chapter focuses on

examining the complexity

and scope of the concept of

sustainable food systems

and introduces the notion of

a Sustainable Food Systems

Approach.

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would argue that recycling or disposal, for example, should also be understood as food system activities. Alternative designations for food system activities could also be used, such as “growing and harvesting” – or “fishing and capturing” in the case of fisheries – instead of “production,” for example. These food system activities should be seen as umbrella terms for further “sub-activities,” such as plant and animal breeding and input provision, which are both crucial to food production, and stocking, refrigeration, and marketing, which could be understood as part of the broader distribution process.

Finally, the definition’s socio-economic and environmental outcomes cover a series of more specific outputs, with human health, for example, as an important component of the socio-economic outcomes cluster. Figure 1 illustrates a variety of the main elements, activities, and outcomes of food systems.

This broad understanding of the definitions proposed by the HLPE acknowledges that the absence of an explicit reference to certain aspects therein does not necessarily imply that these are not part of a sustainable food system.

Figure 1: An illustration of food systems elements, drivers, activities and outcomes (adapted from CIAT)24

24 Adapted from CIAT. Found in: UN Environment/SFS Programme. 2019. Collaborative Framework for Food Systems Transformation, p. 12.

Figure 1: An illustration of food systems elements, drivers, activities and outcomes (adapted from CIAT)

Food system activities

Science & Technology:• Research &

development• Innovation• Information

Sociocultural:• Social norms &

values• Consumer

information, behavior, trends

• Traditional knowledge

Policies & regulations:• Taxes and

subisides• Land rights

Infrastructure:• Roads, ports• Communication

networks, energy grids

Food security and nutrition:• Food availability • Food utilization• Food access • Food stability

Environmental:• Resource efficiency• Ecosystem services• Conservation & sustainable

use of biodiversity • Climate change

mitigation

Geopolitics:• International

trade• Political stability

Socioeconomic:• Livelihoods & well-being

(profitability for farmers, living wages)

• Social justice & equality• Econ. development &

poverty alleviation• Human health• Resilience & climate

change adaptation

Demographics:• Population

growth• Urbanization

Environment:• Natural

resources • Ecosystem

services• Biodiversity• Climate change

Institutions:• Governments• Companies• NGOs

Socioeconomic:• Market

opportunities• Income

distribution• Education• Health

DisposingConsumingMarketingTransportPackagingProcessingHarvestingGrowing

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Such a broad understanding would also imply that the term sustainability considers both future and current generations, as suggested by the reference to “all” in the above definition of sustainable food systems: to avoid compromising the economic, social, and environmental basis to generate food security and nutrition of future generations, a sustainable food system must also guarantee these bases for present generations. This understanding also recognizes the importance of meeting all three bases of sustainability: economic (sustainable food systems are profitable throughout, generating income and livelihoods); social (have broad-based benefits for society, such as health and nutrition); and environmental (have a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment, within planetary boundaries).25 And finally, this understanding recognizes that the above definition implies that sustainable food systems must also be resilient to external shocks, such as extreme weather events caused by climate change, financial crises, or epidemics.

In a nutshell: In a sustainable food system, all people would at all times eat sufficient safe, healthy, and nutritious diets, which are produced and consumed within planetary boundaries, while all producers are able to make decent livelihoods.

A key element of the HLPE definition of a food system is that it describes a system that is more than a linear linking of the individual stages of the food value chain, from production to processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption. Instead, food systems incorporate a web of all of the elements and activities that relate to these stages, as well as their socio-economic and environmental impacts. This can be visualized as a feedback-loop mechanism, with a series of food system elements that impact on the outcomes of food system activities,

25 An alternative way to illustrate the three dimensions of sustainable development, implying that economies and societies are seen as embedded parts of the biosphere, has been proposed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The illustration is contained in $ Annex 1 / page 67.

26 An illustration of such a feedback loop mechanism can be found in $ Annex 2 / page 68.

27 Today aquaculture and capture fisheries directly employ over 180 million people, supporting the livelihoods of 8 percent of the world’s population. See: FAO. 2019b. Aquatic Genetic Resources - A valuable and unexplored reserve of biodiversity for food and agriculture. Available at: http://www.fao.org/aquatic-genetic-resources/home/en/ (accessed 25 June 2020).

28 Adapted from: Mulet Solon et al. 2018. Op. cit.

29 While specific definitions are likely to vary from country to country, the food and agriculture sector typically comprises: i) entities that are engaged in growing crops, raising livestock, and harvesting other animals, as well as timber; ii) entities that transform agricultural products into food and beverage products for intermediate or final consumption (including packaging, etc.); iii) wholesalers and retailers (including transportation, etc.).

30 In addition to Figure 1 of this publication, there are a series of further illustrations of food systems in the annexes, including one proposed by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) in its 2017 report “Nutrition and food systems” in $ Annex 3 / page 69 and the Food System Wheel put forward by FAO in $ Annex 4 / page 70. An even more comprehensive diagram, the Global Food System Map, is contained in $ Annex 5 / page 71.

31 Adapted from: UN Environment/SFS Programme. 2019. Op. cit.

while the food system activities and their outcomes, in turn, have an effect on the elements that act as drivers in the food system.26 For example, natural resources such as soil, water, and biodiversity – both terrestrial and aquatic27 – form the basis of all food consumption and production, while food consumption and production patterns impact on the natural resource base, e.g. through pollution and waste. Feedback can be positive or negative, impacting socio-economic outcomes (e.g., small-holder farmers’ socio-economic situation, poverty, employment generation, and income), environmental health (e.g., forest conservation/degradation, more/less pollution, etc.), and food security and nutrition (e.g., safe and healthy food and diets, access to food, food prices, etc.).28 This also implies that the level of performance in terms of sustainability of any food system is conditioned by its respective social, economic, and environmental (e.g., arid areas vs. temperate areas) context.

The simplified food systems illustration in Figure 1 shows that the food and agriculture sector29 exists within a complex web of activities, outcomes, and drivers.30 For example, in addition to the natural resource base and the activities related to producing and consuming food, food systems are shaped by the social norms and the culture in which those activities are embedded and which influence dietary preferences. Moreover, food systems include a multitude of actors who influence the food sector, both indirectly and directly, including consumers and producers, processors, retailers, governments, NGOs, agriculture and health officers, teachers, etc., each representing a different set of interests. In addition, different types of institutions, regulations, subsidies, and laws further influence everyday performance and outcomes of food systems.31

Figure 1 serves an illustrative purpose and is not meant

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to be exhaustive. Many of the drivers and outcomes could be further broken down or made more explicit. For example, soil and water efficiency, among others, would fall under resource efficiency; decent work33 could be mentioned under livelihoods and well-being; and food safety is implicitly covered as a central element of food security.34 Also, irrigation could be highlighted as an additional sub-component under infrastructure.

As is shown in Figure 1, food systems have a series of outcomes across the different sustainability dimensions.

These outcomes contribute to the achievement of a number of SDGs, as can be seen in $ Table 1 / page 15.

Food systems are composed of sub-systems (e.g., farming systems, waste management systems, input supply systems, etc.), and they interact with other systems (e.g., energy systems, trade systems, health systems,

33 For more information, please refer to the joint FAO and ILO activities in relation to decent rural employment: FAO. FAO-ILO Partnership. Available at: http://www.fao.org/rural-employment/background/partnerships/fao-ilo-partnership/en/ (accessed 25 June 2020).

34 For the definition of food security, please refer to the glossary in $ Chapter 3 / page 41.

35 Adapted from: FAO. 2018a. Op. cit.

financial systems, etc.). Therefore, a structural change in another system, for example a policy promoting more biofuel in the energy system, may also have a significant impact on the food system.35

Finally, food systems can cover different geographic and organizational scales and can be driven by a variety of public, private, and civic actors. One example of a food system that runs across different scales is provided in $ Box 1 / above. Trade and transportation infrastructure – both at the national level as well as internationally – are playing an increasing role in food systems, as food production and processing often do not geographically coincide with where food is consumed. Climate is another example of a factor interlinked with food systems that is not contained within borders.

The HLPE report on Nutrition and Sustainable Food Systems proposes a typology of three different broad

Box 1: Rede Ecovida, Brazil32

The Rede Ecovida in Brazil is a network of agroecological farmers and other stakeholders operating along the production chain, including local NGOs. The network is organized in local food systems, each of which consist of about 30 farmer families that produce, exchange, and consume what they grow. These farmer groups are connected in a network of more than 5,000 families across three states in Southern Brazil, where they exchange their goods across agro-ecological zones, with some farmers specialized in processed products and the farmers themselves taking responsibility for the transportation. Some farmers also sell a portion of their produce to the public procurement program, which organizes the farmers into a national system of competitive sourcing. Finally, since the farmers are certified according to the Brazilian organic standard, they are integrated into national and regional supermarket supply chains, and some coffee producers are also exporting their products to Europe.

32 Niederle et al. 2020. Social movements and institutional change in organic food markets: Evidence from Participatory Guarantee Sys-tems in Brazil and France. In: Journal of Rural Studies.

Photo: Og Mpango / Pexels

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Table 1: Linking Food Systems Outcomes to the SDGs

Food systems outcomes Relevant SDG targets

Livelihoods and well-being (profitability for farmers, living wages)

2.3, 2.4, 8.2, 8.5, 10.1

Social justice and equality (incl. gender) 1.4, 2.5, 4.4, 5.5, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 10.2, 15.6, 16.7, 17.16

Economic development and poverty alleviation 1.1, 1.2, 8.1, 9.3

Human health 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.9, 6.3, 8.8, 12.4

Resilience and climate change adaptation 1.5, 2.4, 2.5, 11.5, 13.1

Resource efficiency 2.4, 3.9, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 7.3, 8.4, 9.4, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 14.1

Ecosystem services 2.4, 6.6, 12.2, 14.5, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4

Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity

2.4, 2.5, 11.4, 12.2, 14.4, 15.4, 15.5

Climate change mitigation 2.4, 6.6, 12.2, 12.3, 15.2

Food availability 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 12.2, 12.3, 14.436, 15.3

Food utilization 2.1, 2.2, 3.4, 12.3

Food access 2.1, 2.2, 3.4

Food stability 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4

36 To read more about the importance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition, please refer to: HLPE. 2014b. Sustain-able fisheries and aquaculture for food and nutrition. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome.

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types of food systems – traditional food systems, modern food systems, and mixed food systems – each with their own specific challenges. While acknowledging that food systems exist on a continuum, and multiple food systems can co-exist within any given country, the HLPE report suggests that this typology is useful to illustrate the complexity of food systems, and may support context-specific policy making.

In traditional food systems, people generally live in rural areas. Dietary diversity can be low, partly because people rely mainly on locally grown, fished, herded, hunted, or gathered foods and often lack appropriate infrastructure to access distant markets. Stunting rates may therefore be high, along with the incidence of micronutrient deficiencies, impacting people’s immune systems and making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. In mixed food systems, there is a higher proportion of people living in peri-urban and urban areas and having greater incomes than in traditional food systems. People still have access to local wet markets, but also to supermarkets that have a wide variety of processed, packaged, and fresh foods all year long. In these systems, while people tend to have access to sufficient calories and proteins, there generally is increased intake of saturated and trans fats and sugar, with dietary changes often resulting in an increasing incidence of overweight and obese people, and thus an increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In modern food systems, a higher proportion of people tend to live in urban areas and have greater incomes and an overwhelming number of food choices all year long that tend to be of better quality. This abundance of food, especially highly processed food, is associated with increased risk of being overweight or obese and NCDs.37

While the HLPE typology is a useful illustration, the complexities increase further once other socio-economic and environmental considerations are added to the equation. Indeed, the scope and complexity of food systems can lead to significant challenges in the pursuit of sustainability, as well as to possible trade-offs. For instance, eating a certain type of food may be nutritious

37 Adapted from: HLPE. 2017. Nutrition and food systems. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome, pp. 35–40.

For further classifications, see also FAO’s e-learning course “Sustainable Food Systems: Systems Thinking,” at https://elearning.fao.org/course/. The course refers to “alternate food systems” in addition to modern and traditional food systems.

38 UN Environment/SFS Programme. 2019. Op. cit., p. 12.


40 UN Environment/SFS Programme. 2019. Op. cit.

41 Leakey. 2018. Converting ‘trade-offs’ to ‘trade-ons’ for greatly enhanced food security in Africa: multiple environmental, economic and social bene-fits from ‘socially modified crops’. In: Food Security.

from a purely human health point of view, but the way it is produced, processed, and/or distributed may have more or fewer negative impacts on the environment; likewise, food can only be considered as being produced sustainably if it provides a decent income to those who produce it.

2.2 The Sustainable Food Systems ApproachAccording to the SFS Programme, the “Sustainable Food Systems Approach considers food systems in their totality, taking into account the interconnections and trade-offs among the different elements of food systems, as well as their diverse actors, activities, drivers and outcomes. It seeks to simultaneously maximize societal outcomes across environmental, social (incl. health) and economic dimensions.”38

The Sustainable Food Systems Approach thus considers all relevant causal variables of a problem and all social, environmental, and economic impacts of possible solutions. It investigates underlying causes, as well as possible interlinkages and unforeseen consequences. While there are potential trade-offs between key priorities of food systems, such as inclusive poverty reduction, increased agricultural productivity, improved nutrition, and enhanced environmental sustainability, there are also opportunities to simultaneously accomplish multiple objectives.39 A Sustainable Food Systems Approach can help identify such trade-offs and synergies. It can help facilitate the coordination needed to manage trade-offs and possibly even turn them into „trade-ons“ or synergies, by choosing the right mix of policies and practices. For example, this can lead to the development of nutrition recommendations that – in addition to health aspects – take into account environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions.40 Another example with regard to practices is involving local farming communities in the plant breeding process, which may bring results that are positive in terms of productivity, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience, as well as nutrition.41

https://elearning.fao.org/course/

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Box 2: The SFS Programme and the Sustainable Food Systems Approach

The concept of a Sustainable Food Systems Approach – and the need for it – is embedded in the SFS Programme. The first objective of the SFS Programme is to “raise awareness of the need to shift to more sustainable food systems and to apply a holistic, system-based approach to addressing food security and nutrition.” With regard to this approach, the SFS Programme funding document states: “[…] Linkages need to be actively made between food production and consumption, nutritional health and the underlying social-economic, biophysical, cultural and institutional elements that ultimately affect the quantity, quality and affordability of food, as well as health and well-being. Such a Sustainable Food Systems Approach embraces the interconnectedness of all the food-related activities and the environment within which these activities occur […].”42

In its early implementation phase, the SFS Programme has identified the following focus themes43 as main leverage points for its Sustainable Food Systems Approach. They are a part of any food system, and together they can cover all food system activities and outcomes.

Sustainable diets

The concept of sustainable diets takes into account four dimensions: health and nutrition, environment including biodiversity, economy, and socio-cultural factors. Sustainable and healthy diets have co-benefits for the health and well-being of both consumers and producers, as well as for planetary health. A transition to more nutritious and diverse diets is frequently projected to result in reduced GHG emissions, as well as likely reductions in non-communicable diseases.44 Sustainable diets, such as the traditional Mediterranean diet, the traditional Japanese diet, or the new Nordic diet, that

42 SFS Programme. 2016a. Sustainable Food Systems Programme (SFS Programme). Programme document. Available at: http://www.oneplanetnetwork. org/sites/default/files/10yfp_sfsp_programme_document.pdf (accessed 25 June 2020).

43 These four themes are in addition to “Local, national, and regional multi-stakeholder platforms,” which is the fifth “focus theme” of the SFS Pro-gramme, and discussed in Box 3.

44 UNSCN. 2017. Sustainable Diets for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet. Rome. Globally, it is estimated that transitioning to more plant-based diets, in line with WHO recommendations on healthy eating (WHO 2015), guidelines

on human energy requirements (WHO 2004), and recommendations by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF/AICR, 2007), could reduce global mortality by 6-10 percent and food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 29-70 percent, compared with a reference scenario for 2050 (Springmann et al. 2016).

45 Porter. 1985. Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance. Free Press, New York.

46 Porter and Kramer. 2011. Creating Shared Value. In: Harvard Business Review.

are mainly plant-based dietary patterns provide viable alternatives to diets that rely mainly on animal proteins.

Sustainability along all food value chains

The term “value chain” was coined by Michael Porter45 as a management tool that could help firms first to identify and then exploit their competitive advantage within an industry, then to “create shared value” among supply chain actors.46 One way to promote sustainability in the food system along the food value chain is through “green” value chains.

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These are value chains where environmental and social indicators are taken into consideration in determining the sustainability of the supply chain.47 More recently, the concept of circuit court48 or short food supply chain has emerged, where short supply chains are defined as those with few intermediaries between farmers and consumers.49

Reduction of food losses and waste

Food loss and waste occurs along all parts of the food value chain, with impacts on food security and natural resources. A number of efforts are aimed at providing guidance on how to measure food loss and waste accurately and systematically. The Food Loss Index, developed under the lead of FAO, focuses on food that is lost early in the supply chain, from harvest to processing, while the Food Waste Index, developed under the lead of UN Environment, focuses on consumer and retail waste. The World Resources Institute’s Food Loss and Waste Protocol is a global accounting and reporting standard for quantifying food loss and waste along the food supply chain. Expressing the amount of food loss and waste in terms such as nutritional value or resource use can

47 Carter and Rogers. 2008. A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory. In: International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management.

48 Chiffoleau. 2012. Circuits courts alimentaires, dynamiques relationnelles et lutte contre l’exclusion en agriculture. In: Économie rurale.

49 Santini et al.2013. Short Food Supply Chains and Local Food Systems in the EU. A State of Play of their Socio-Economic Characteristics. Luxem-bourg, European Union.

further catalyze action in ways that volume or weight measures might not.

Resilient, inclusive, and diverse food production systems

Food production systems are vulnerable to disruptions from a wide range of phenomena such as climate variability, extreme weather events and market volatility, pandemics, and civil strife and political instability. As the COVID-19 crisis has shown, the ramifications of disruptions to food production systems can be dire, with impacts on the productivity and stability of agricultural production systems, food security, and household income, and increased uncertainties and risks for producers and consumers. This translates into disruptions in the value chain that may affect an entire global or national food system. Resilience is a key component of a sustainable food system, enabling it to absorb shocks and recover.

For definitions and a more detailed discussion of these terms, please refer to the glossary in $ Chapter 3 / page 26.

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With a Sustainable Food Systems Approach, sustainability is examined holistically across the food system. This is illustrated in $ Figure 2 / page 20. On the economic dimension, sustainability in a food system depends on commercial or fiscal viability of the activities conducted by food system actors or support service providers, taking into account positive as well as negative externalities. It also depends on the distribution of costs and benefits, including economic value-added and livelihoods for all categories of stakeholders: income for producers and workers, taxes for governments, profits for enterprises, and food supply improvements for consumers. On the social dimension, sustainability in a food system depends on the level of equity in the distribution of the economic value-added, including among vulnerable groups categorized by gender, age, race, and so on. Importantly, it depends on the ability of food system activities to contribute to the advancement of important socio-cultural outcomes, such as food security and nutrition, health, traditions, labor conditions, and animal welfare. The social dimension of sustainability in food systems may be conditioned by further factors, such as the degree to which social sustainability builds upon social structures, traditional solidarity mechanisms, and respect for culture and human rights – including the right to adequate food, as well as the level of participation of people and institutions in the system. On the environmental dimension, sustainability is determined by the extent to which food systems are able to function within planetary boundaries, with impacts on the natural environment that are neutral or positive. Key


51 Adapted from: FAO. 2018a. Idem.

elements to be taken into consideration in this respect include biodiversity, water, soil, animal and plant health, the carbon footprint, water footprint, and land footprint, as well as food loss and waste, and toxicity.50

By way of illustration, any proposed measures to address a food system problem (e.g., animal diseases) or to take advantage of a new opportunity (e.g., a new green technology or profitable market) should be assessed against all other dimensions of sustainability to ensure there are no undesirable impacts. This will ensure that all three dimensions are being addressed, in order to achieve an overall positive impact. Such a holistic vision allows us to use potential synergies and to reveal often hidden trade-offs, to ensure that while the targeted impact is positive, the net overall impact on the value-added of the food system activities will also be positive.51 It is important to note that the impacts listed in Figure 2 are not exhaustive and further examples could be mentioned, for example land footprint under environmental impacts.

In order to assess trade-offs and promote viable solutions to food system challenges, the Sustainable Food Systems Approach is also a multi-stakeholder approach. A multi-stakeholder approach helps ensure an accurate assessment of trade-offs, which is a necessary first step for truly sustainable food systems transformation. Multi-stakeholder councils or roundtables for food system actors can help create spaces that act as environments of experimentation to develop new rules for engagement

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Figure 2: Sustainability in Food Systems52

52 FAO, 2018a. Op.cit., p. 4.

to assess trade-offs and tackle a specific complex problem.53 The SFS Programme is an example of such a co-owned space at the global level (see $ Box 3 / page 21).

In policy terms, a food systems approach should connect elements within various policy agendas – primarily environmental, agricultural, health, trade, and industry – expanding opportunities for any country to achieve sustainability in its food systems.54 When applied to policy making, the Sustainable Food Systems Approach

53 Waddell et al. 2013. Learning and transformative networks to address wicked problems: A GOLDEN invitation. In: International Food and Agribusi-ness Management Review.


can bring about more coherent, holistic food systems policies. Ideally, such policies would ensure that sufficient nutritious, sustainable, culturally acceptable, desirable, and affordable food is produced and consumed, while generating decent incomes for producers and other value chain actors, as well as protecting natural resources both domestically and abroad. Moving toward such a policy-enabling environment is a precondition for the transition to more sustainable food systems. This may require a revision of current legal and regulatory frameworks.

EconomicImpacts

SFSSocial

ImpactsEnvironmental

Impacts

ProfitsJobs/IncomesTax revenuesFood supply

Eco-socialprogress

Added value distribution(gender, youth,

indigenous people)Cultural traditions

Nutrition and healthWorkers rights and safety

Animal welfareInstitutions

Inclusive growth

Green growth

Carbon footprintWater footprint

Water health / Soil healthAnimal and plant health

Food loss and wasteBiodiversity

Toxicity

Figure 2: Sustainability in Food Systems

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The Collaborative Framework for Food Systems Trans-formation (hereafter “Collaborative FS Framework”) developed within the framework of the SFS Programme aims to engage and strengthen capacities of governments and stakeholders to apply a food systems approach to their policies, programs, and strategies. It recommends key activities across the food system for accelerating the transition to sustainable food systems. Please refer to $ Box 4 / page 22 for more information on the Collaborative FS Framework.

61 The Sustainable Food Systems Approach as promoted by the SFS Programme makes use of all these strategies, as described in $ Box 6 / page 24.

2.3 Main Strategies to Promote Sustainable Food SystemsWhile the Sustainable Food Systems Approach described above elaborates multiple entry points for stakeholders to contribute to the development and implementation of sustainable food systems, the following strategies elaborate organizational and policy approaches to support transformational change to more sustainable food systems.61

Box 3: The SFS Programme’s Multi-stakeholder Approach55

Accelerating the shift toward more sustainable food systems requires a holistic, system-based, and multi-stakeholder approach. The One Planet network’s Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme recognizes that overcoming polarization and conventional power dynamics, as well as promoting inclusiveness, are paramount conditions to enhance multi-stakeholder collaboration56 and contribute to this transformation by building synergies and cooperation among stakeholders. In fact, the Programme itself is composed of a diverse group of stakeholders.

Since its launch in 2015, the SFS Programme’s co- leadership has been composed of a group of civil society organizations and governments.57 In spring 2020, it had gathered a network of over 180 members58 worldwide, grouped into five stakeholder clusters: government agencies, UN agencies and other intergovernmental

55 Box adapted from: HLPE. 2018. Multi-stakeholder partnerships to finance and improve food security and nutrition in the framework of the 2030 Agenda. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome; and: Mulet Solon et al. 2018. Op. cit.

56 CNS-FAO. 2016. Working towards Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Available at: https://www.blw.admin.ch/blw/en/home/international/institutionen/multistakeholder-partnerschaften/cns-fao.html (accessed 25 June 2020).

57 From 2015 to 2019, the co-leads were Hivos, WWF, South Africa, and Switzerland. Since October 2019, the co-leadership is composed of Costa Rica, Switzerland, and WWF.

58 For the SFS Programme’s membership, refer to: http://www.scpclearinghouse.org/sustainable-food-system/actors (accessed 25 June 2020).

59 For more information on the governance of the SFS Programme and the respective roles of its different actors, please refer to: SFS Programme. 2017a. Op. cit.

60 For an overview of the SFS Programme’s core initiatives, refer to: https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-system/core-initiatives- sfs-programme (accessed 25 June 2020).

organizations, civil society organizations, scientific and technical organizations, and the private sector. The co-lead organizations are supported by a Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) with 23 seats representing all five stakeholder clusters, which makes its decisions by consensus.59

By building on the respective strengths as well as existing expertise and activities of the different actors involved, and by promoting new partnerships and synergies, the SFS Programme managed to pool resources and make their use more efficient, to achieve stronger collective impact. Several of its members have joined forces in so-called “core initiatives,” which are in themselves multi-stakeholder partnerships acting at different levels (global, regional, national/local).60

In spring 2020, the SFS Programme had a portfolio consisting of eight core initiatives and 50 affiliated projects, described on the website and implemented at regional, national, or even subnational levels.

https://www.blw.admin.ch/blw/en/home/international/institutionen/multistakeholder-partnerschaften/cns-fao.htmlhttps://www.blw.admin.ch/blw/en/home/international/institutionen/multistakeholder-partnerschaften/cns-fao.htmlhttp://www.scpclearinghouse.org/sustainable-food-system/actorshttps://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-system/core-initiatives-sfs-programmehttps://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-system/core-initiatives-sfs-programme

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Multi-stakeholder engagement

Food systems actors currently represent the largest group of natural resource managers in the world. When it comes to sustainability in the system, they are critical in both creating the problems and implementing the solutions.

Multidisciplinary collaboration and enhanced dialogue are thus keys to building consensus for change and a joint vision toward sustainable food systems. Through such dialogue, politically sensitive issues that were previously uncomfortable (for example nutrition and livelihoods) can be tackled and consequently become less polarizing. This

Box 4: The Collaborative Framework for Food Systems Transformation62

The Collaborative FS Framework is a practical guide to developing and applying a food systems approach to policy making and implementation. It suggests four actions to build a food systems transformation.

Action 1: Identify an individual or group of food systems champions and build momentum

• Call attention to and advocate for the need to adopt a different approach to food and agriculture policies – a food systems approach.

• Raise awareness and speak at public events to spread the message concerning the key benefits of systemic thinking.

• Organize trainings on a food systems approach.

• Seek buy-in of high-level representatives.

Action 2: Conduct a holistic food systems assessment

• Prepare a diagnosis, based on food systems lenses – i.e., What is the present state of the food system today?

• In a first phase, do not break the assessment into food systems sub-sectors or focus on too narrow a problem.

• The assessment is a basis of evidence for further discussions between stakeholders.

• It provides a foundation for a political agenda and cross-cutting dialogue within the government.

• The assessment will provide an in-depth understan-ding of the elements, drivers, and outcomes of food systems, identify who are the main actors involved, catalogue existing policies and activities related to

62 UN Environment/SFS Programme. 2019. Op. cit., p. 7.

food and agriculture, and review potential linkages with existing strategies

Action 3: Initiate a multi-stakeholder process for dialogue and action

• Establish a permanent multi-stakeholder platform.

• Through this type of dialogue, politically sensitive issues that were previously uncomfortable can be addressed.

• Discuss the assessment with the multi-stakeholder group.

• Create a joint vision: discuss areas of priorities, targets, and roles.

• Develop an Action Plan for SFS.

• Promote integration among different food systems policies and domains.

• Link with existing development strategies and (inter)national commitments.

Action 4: Strengthen institutional capacity for food systems governance in the long term

• This action will empower public institutions to manage and guide the management of food systems to long-term outcomes.

• Create a mandated mechanism to improve institu-tional arrangements and frameworks (agriculture, environment, finance, health, education, etc.).

• Develop a platform where policies, laws, regulations, and programs are continually reviewed, improved, and implemented.

• Define key performance indicators.

• Monitor and review based on lessons learned.

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type of multi-stakeholder engagement can be promoted through formats such as food systems roundtables, food labs, or food policy councils.63

Public-private partnerships

Progression toward sustainable food systems depends on acting toward clear and common goals among all stakeholders. The private sector is a major stakeholder in the transformation to sustainable food systems. Public-private partnerships, in which private business and government enter into cooperative arrangements to leverage their efforts toward a common goal, can therefore play a powerful role. The public and private sectors can collaborate in terms of research and development, infrastructure, and other services.64

Education, awareness raising, and capacity building

Establishing a common understanding of goals and sharing knowledge about the practices that lead to achieving them are crucial to improving practices, whether it is in production techniques, consumer choices, or other practices in the food system. Research and experimentation, extension services, school programs, public campaigns, training of government agents and other service providers, and forums for exchange among different stakeholder groups to enable understanding of interdependence, commonality of purpose, and individual roles are vital for mutually supportive, sustained efforts. The second global conference of the SFS Programme identified the promotion of behavioral change and consumer awareness through education and hands-on learning as a priority, with a focus on school-aged children and youth as key agents of change.65

Strengthening the policy environment

Policies that protect and steward common goods and resources (such as soil, water, air, mineral resources, biodiversity, energy resources), including by providing suitable incentives to stakeholders, and that increase investment in human development (i.e., health, education, and growth opportunities) can play a powerful role in building more sustainable food systems. Such policies are strengthened when they are accompanied by an assessment of their impacts on different populations


64 For a review of international experiences of public-private partnerships for agribusiness development, see: FAO. 2016a. Public-private partnerships for agribusiness development. FAO, Rome.

65 SFS Programme. 2019a. 2nd Global Conference of the One Planet (10YFP) Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme. Call to Action. P. 2. Available at: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/491351_4204b7b388e44b57aadb2b24026e5431.pdf (accessed 25 June 2020).

and sectors of the economy and an effort is made to address inequalities and account for possible trade-offs. Policies that support pricing in which the true costs and benefits of certain practices are used in market-based transactions can also drive movement toward sustainable

Box 5: Providing Incentives for Food Systems Transformation by Linking Consumer Investments to Production

A key strategy to promote sustainable food systems is to recognize the need to promote a combination of measures to compensate, adjust, and incentivize change. For example, for agricultural producers to adopt more sustainable practices, these need to be integrated in a package of actions that genuinely improves farm management and income. Agriculture producers will only be able to comply with conservation requirements and restoration goals if they can maintain or improve productivity elsewhere on their farms and reduce both pressure on remaining natural ecosystems and the opportunity cost of land for restoration. Similarly, investment in rehabilitation and sustainable management must have an economic return.

But this does not necessarily require much additional investment, as there already are a variety of programs offering incentives for this transformation. These range from policy-driven investments to fulfil mandatory regulations, such as taxes and charges, to private strategies for saving production costs (water-quality protection programs), to opening new markets (certification/standards), to voluntary investments in social and livelihood benefits (corporate social responsibility and NGO investments in social development).

The Sustainable Food Systems Approach allows for linkage of investments from the consumer side – through certification and other strategies for sourcing of sustainable agricultural products and services – to the production side, thereby providing better rewards for producers for the environmental and social benefits that they are generating.

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Box 6: How the SFS Programme implements the strategies discussed in Section 2.3 in the context of its Sustainable Food Systems Approach

Multi-stakeholder engagement: The One Planet net-work’s SFS Programme has five stakeholder clusters66 and is co-led in a multi-stakeholder way by Costa Rica, Switzerland, and WWF.67 The co-leads are supported by a 20-member Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) that operates by consensus (three of the MAC’s 23 available seats are currently unfilled).68 MAC members are elected by the membership for two years, while the co-leads are elected by the MAC for a mandate of four years. Several members have joined forces in so-called “core initiatives,” which are in themselves multi-stakeholder partnerships acting at different levels (global, regional, national).69 As a contribution toward its objective in relation to “promoting enabling environments that are conducive to sustainable food systems,” the SFS Programme stimulates the creation of roundtables to strengthen multi-stakeholder engagement at national and local levels.

Public-private partnerships: The private sector is actively engaged in the SFS Programme’s work, both in policy-related discussions and through the implementation of the Programme’s project portfolio. For example, Nestlé is co-leading the core initiative “Complementing existing value chain sustainability assessments: Measuring, communicating, and valuing biodiversity in food sys-tems,” together with the civil society organization Global Nature Fund and with the active involvement of UN Environment.

Awareness raising and capacity building: Raising awareness about the need for a shift to more sustainable food systems and building capacity for that shift are

66 The five clusters are: government agencies, UN agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, scientific and tech-nical organizations, and the private sector.

67 Status: March 31, 2020. From 2015 to 2019, the co-leadership was composed of South Africa, Switzerland, Hivos, and WWF.

68 For the current composition of the SFS Programme MAC see: SFS Programme. 2019b. Actors. Available at: https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-systems/actors (accessed 26 June 2020).

69 See Box 3 for a more detailed description of the SFS Programme’s multi-stakeholder approach.

70 For more information see: SFS Programme. 2017b. Delivering SDG Target 12.3 on Food Loss and Waste Reduction [CORE]. Available at: http://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/initiative/delivering-sdg-target-123-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-core (accessed 26 June 2020).

71 For more information see: SFS Programme. 2016b. MyFoodways [AFFILIATED]: A smartphone app that helps young adults enjoy healthy and sus-tainable meals. Available at: http://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/initiative/my-food-skills-affiliated (accessed 26 June 2020).

72 For more information see: CIAT. 2019. Fighting hunger through the mapping of key food systems indicators in the 1000 poorest communes of Viet-nam. Available at: https://blog.ciat.cgiar.org/fighting-hunger-through-the-mapping-of-key-food-systems-indicators-in-the-1000-poorest-communes- of-vietnam/ (accessed 26 June 2020).

among the SFS Programme’s four main objectives. In the context of the core initiative on food losses and waste,70 for instance, FAO and UN Environment are running social media campaigns on the need to reduce food losses and waste. On a different level, the social enterprise Foodways Consulting has developed a smartphone app to help Millennials make more sustainable food choices.71

Strengthening the policy environment: Contributing toward the SFS Programme’s objective of “promoting enabling environments that are conducive to sustainable food systems,” the Collaborative FS Framework described in $ Box 4 / page 22 provides guidance on how to implement a food systems approach to decision making. It proposes key policy levers, methodologies, tools, and collaborative activities to explore how the transition to sustainable food systems could be accelerated.

Research and innovation: The SFS Programme has a strong research basis, and all the work undertaken is thoroughly underpinned by science. Many leading food and agriculture research and technical institutions are part of the Programme. For example, the University of Michigan and CIAT, through their affiliated project “Entry Points to Advance Transitions towards Sustainable Diets” (EATS), work on generating unique information packages aimed at informing evidence-based, systems-level decision making on sustainable diets, by identifying critical decision-making needs, data gaps, and insights into the policy process at diverse scales.72

Metric-based monitoring and evaluation: The SFS Programme and its members report annually on their progress and activities, through the rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework of the One Planet network. The Secretariat of the One Planet network compiles and

https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-systems/actorshttps://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/sustainable-food-systems/actorshttp://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/initiative/delivering-sdg-target-123-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-corehttp://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/initiative/delivering-sdg-target-123-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-corehttp://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/initiative/my-food-skills-affiliatedhttps://blog.ciat.cgiar.org/fighting-hunger-through-the-mapping-of-key-food-systems-indicators-in-the-1000-poorest-communes-

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food systems. As large customers, governmental entities can influence supply dynamics and activities across the value chain by enacting procurement guidelines that favor sustainably produced goods and services. The City of Copenhagen, for example, due to the implementation of a new public procurement policy with an increased focus on environmental, health, and safety requirements, achieved an 88-percent organic share of public sector meals (offices, schools, kindergartens, etc.) as of August 2016.74

Research and innovation

While many solutions already exist and are available for solving a number of society’s challenges, these solutions must be further enhanced and new ones need to be devised in order to achieve transformational

74 Procura+ Network. Copenhagen. Available at: http://www.procuraplus.org/public-authorities/copenhagen/ (accessed 25 June 2020).

75 FAO, WHO, WTO and African Union. 2019. The First FAO/WHO/AU International Food Safety Conference. Novel food production. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/CA2979EN/ca2979en.pdf (accessed 25 June 2020); and: The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. 2015. Novel Food Production. Available at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0499/POST-PN-0499.pdf (accessed 25 June 2020).

76 IPES FOOD. 2020. Reports. Available at: http://www.ipes-food.org/reports/ (accessed 26 June 2020).

change. Ongoing investment in and encouragement of innovations and the appropriate precautions involved with overseeing them is one of the animating forces of continual improvement and progress. For example, novel food production approaches, such as new plant breeding techniques, controlled-environment farming, alternative animal feeds, cultured meat, new processing techniques, edible insects, and personalized nutrition, may all contribute to food systems sustainability.75 However, it is important to note that traditional knowledge remains an important source for innovation, and that innovation can originate from any stakeholder. Furthermore, for full impact, innovative solutions need to be more fully disseminated; such amplification may also need another innovation to make that happen, whether said innovation is technical, technological, social, or political. IPES FOOD has produced a series of scientific reports on innovative approaches and policies for the transition to sustainable food systems.76

Metric-based monitoring and evaluation

The ability to track progress is a fundamental tool for assessing performance and making improvements over time. Different levels of operations, activities, or oversight may require different data collection and focus, but all metrics should have a reasonable degree of compatibility, from the most detailed sets of data collected for individual enterprises or actors up to more macro- or aggregated data sets to measure progress on a societal basis. Monitoring and evaluation using metrics depends on identifying the desired outcomes at any given level. Furthermore, metrics for calculating absolute performance and improvement over time with respect to use of natural or human capital (and corresponding monetization of such – see true cost accounting in the glossary in $ Chapter 3 / page 65) can serve as concrete levers for changing practices.

consolidates the submitted information and produces a narrative report to the attention of the High-level Political

73 For more information on the One Planet network’s annual reporting see: One Planet network. 2019. Reporting progress on SDG 12. Available at: https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/reporting (accessed 26 June 2020).

Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).73

Photo: ©FAO/Karen Minasyan

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This chapter contains a list of definitions of terms and concepts that are often used in relation to sustainable food systems. Whenever possible, this glossary makes use of broadly agreed definitions, including definitions coined by relevant inter-governmental organizations and/or other authoritative scientific and/or multi-stakeholder bodies or processes. In cases where commonly used, highly relevant terms did not have a broadly agreed definition, a selection of the leading definitions has been included.

Additional discussion has been added to some of the terms that are either central to the SFS Programme or closely related to the Sustainable Food Systems Approach.

3. Terms of Relevance to Sustainable Food Systems: Definitions and Discussion

Photo: ©FAO/Jeanette Van Acker

A common understanding

of terms and concepts forms

the basis for meaningful

dialogue. This glossary

intends to help strengthen

that understanding.

A $ p. 27

B $ p. 30

C $ p. 32

D $ p. 35

E $ p. 36

F $ p. 37

G $ p. 44

H $ p. 45

I $ p. 45

L $ p. 46

M $ p. 46

N $ p. 47

O $ p. 48

P $ p. 48

R $ p. 52

S $ p. 55

T $ p. 63

U $ p. 65

V $ p. 66

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AAgriculture

“The science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products.” (Lexico)77

According to FAO’s definition, agriculture also encompasses “horticulture, livestock, fishing and forestry activities, along with forage and milk production.” (FAO)78

Agro-biodiversity

“Agricultural biodiversity is a broad term that includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture, and all components of biological diversity that constitute the agricultural ecosystems, also named agro-ecosystems: the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms, at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels, which are necessary to sustain key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes.

Agricultural biodiversity is the outcome of the interactions among genetic resources, the environment and the management systems and practices used by farmers. This is the result of both natural selection and human inventive developed over millennia.

The following dimensions of agricultural biodiversity can be identified:

1) Genetic resources for food and agriculture:

• Plant genetic resources, including crops, wild plants harvested and managed for food, trees on farms, pasture and rangeland species,

• Animal genetic resources, including domesticated animals, wild animals hunted for food, wild and farmed fish and other aquatic organisms,

77 Lexico. 2020. UK Dictionary. Available at: https://www.lexico.com/definition/agriculture (accessed 26 June 2020).

78 FAO. 2018b. FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean. Mainstreaming biodiversity in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aqua-culture, footnote 1.

79 CBD. 2008. What is Agricultural Biodiversity? Available at: https://www.cbd.int/agro/whatis.shtml (accessed 26 June 2020).

80 FAO. 2012a. Global Agro-Ecological Zones. Available at: http://www.fao.org/nr/gaez/programme/en/ (accessed 26 June 2020).

81 IPBES. Glossary. Agro-ecological zones. Available at: https://ipbes.net/glossary/agro-ecological-zones (accessed 26 June 2020).

• Microbial and fungal genetic resources.

• These constitute the main units of production in agriculture, and include cultivated and domesticated species, managed wild plants and animals, as well as wild relatives of cultivated and domesticated species.

2) Components of biodiversity that support ecosystem services upon which agriculture is based. These include a diverse range of organisms that contribute, at various scales to, inter alia, nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, pollination, pollution and sediment regulation, maintenance of the hydrological cycle, erosion control, and climate regulation and carbon sequestration.

3) Abiotic factors, such as local climatic and chemical factors and the physical structure and functioning of ecosystems, which have a determining effect on agricultural biodiversity.

4) Socio-economic and cultural dimensions. Agricultural biodiversity is largely shaped and maintained by human activities and management practices, and a large number of people depend on agricultural biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods. These dimensions include traditional and local knowledge of agricultural biodiversity, cultural factors and participatory processes, as well as tourism associated with agricultural landscapes.” (Convention on Biological Diversity)79

Agro-ecological zones

“The agro-ecological zones are defined as homogenous and contiguous areas with similar soil, land and climate characteristics.” (FAO)80

“Geographic areas with homogeneous sets of climatic parameters and natural resource characteristics, such as rainfall, solar radiation, soil types and soil qualities, which correspond to a level of agricultural potential.” (IPBES)81

https://www.lexico.com/definition/agriculturehttps://www.cbd.int/agro/whatis.shtmlhttp://www.fao.org/nr/gaez/programme/en/https://ipbes.net/glossary/agro-ecological-zones

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Agroecology

Definitions

“Agroecology is a scientific discipline, a set of practices and a social movement” (Wezel et al.).82 “As a science, it studies how different components of the agroecosystem interact. As a set of practices, it seeks sustainable farming systems” that optimize and stabilize production, through enhanced use of ecosystem services and limited use of external inputs. “As a social movement, it pursues multifunctional roles for agriculture, promotes social justice, nurtures identity and culture,” and strives to strengthen “the economic viability of rural areas” (FAO).83 “Agroecology is an integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of food and agricultural systems” (FAO).84

Ten elements of agroecology have been identified by the FAO Council:85 diversity; co-creation and sharing of knowledge; synergies; efficiency; recycling; resilience; human and social values; culture and food traditions; responsible governance; circular and solidarity economy.

Discussion

The agroecological approach is promoting holi

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